Verndale Custom Builders (VCB) manufactures system-built homes indoors. They then deliver the homes to the customer’s foundation. An in-house designer assists customers with design and layout of their new home, ensuring each home is custom designed. They can build up to a 28’ x 72’ house.
The owners of VCB, Robert Weiher Sr. and son Robert Weiher Jr., also own Whispering Pines Log Homes and JR Construction of Verndale. These companies typically build higher-end homes capturing 15-20% of the market. When the Verndale Custom Homes facilities were for sale, the Weiher’s wanted to buy the business, hoping to tap into the other 80-85% of the market. They were able to take advantage of very low interest rates through our Rural Development Loan program, which helped them complete the purchase.
We asked Bill Hess, general manager of VCB, what makes the business stand out from others? He said, “We recently had a grand opening event where several owners of a home built by Verndale Custom Homes came back to say they really enjoy their home and are glad we are back in business. That’s a great legacy to build upon.” VCB was able to hire many former employees, allowing them to jump right back into production.
West Central Telephone provides telephone and high-speed Internet services to VCB, and we also help them with their business phone system and computer network. All home design plans and other customer data is backed up in the cloud through our Filehopper Plus service. Filehopper Plus gives them access to files from any Internetconnected device. It also assures them that in case of a fire or other emergency, their files will remain safe. For more information about Verndale Custom Builders, visit them on the web at www.Verndalecustombuilders.com, or call 445-6006.
For more information on the Rural Development Loan program, phone systems, securing your computer network or protecting your important files, give us a call at 800-945-2163.
Pixel Perfect Photography and Design is open for business in Verndale, MN. Owned by Menahga native Cassie Hodgden, Pixel Perfect specializes in maternity, newborn, infants and children, family, pets, high school seniors, prom and special events photography.
Besides photography, Cassie puts her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Graphic Design to use by designing one-of-a-kind invitations and announcements for customers. In fact, Pixel Perfect offers commercial photography and full graphic design services for businesses.
Although new to Verndale, her love of photography and her laid back, fun and relaxed style has led the community to embrace Pixel Perfect. She’s already been booked to capture Verndale’s Homecoming Coronation event.
Cassie loves meeting people, and capturing those special moments in time with her camera. Often she uploads 50 -100 enhanced, high resolution photos to an online gallery for her clients to view. Cassie said, “I don’t have hours to waste watching files upload, so I was thrilled when I realized how quickly my files upload with West Central’s Internet service.” Cassie has West Central Telephone’s all-fiber optic broadband Internet service with an upload speed of 6 Mbps. Not wanting to lose her precious work — her client’s priceless photos — she also uses the high upload speeds to back up over a terabyte of files in record time.
For more information about Pixel Perfect Photography and Design, visit them on the web at www.Pixel-Perfect-Studio.com, or call 445-4283.
For more information about how West Central Telephone can speed up your time online, give us a call at 1-800-945-2163.
The Hair Company, located in downtown Sebeka, has been in business since 1997. The Hair Company is a full service salon that specializes in hair shaping, color trends and the latest texturing techniques. They also offer manicures, pedicures, spray tanning and sugaring services.
Salon manager Jessica Ehrenberg said, “We love making people feel better, whether it’s fixing their hair or just chatting with them.” It’s a sentiment that stylists Whitney Nelson and Julie Cochran agrees with. Julie added, “Our clients are the best, and the reason for the success of the salon.”
Their dedication to their clients shows, especially considering the lengths they go to stay on trend with the industry. Jessica has Advanced Color and Hair Shaping under her belt. She is also skilled in Sugaring — a chemical-free alternative to waxing. Julie is skilled in Advanced Color techniques.
The Hair Company offers the latest trends in beauty, and they can claim to have the latest technology — fiber optics. As a result, they have super-fast Internet. Since they schedule everything through their online web-based software, this is a must. They also offer Wi-Fi access to their clients during their visit. A security system from West Central ensures the safety of staff and clients. Plus, they can check on their business from a smartphone or online when no one is there.
For the latest trends in beauty, contact The Hair Company at 837-5227. You can also schedule an appointment with them online at www.thehaircompanymn.com.
For the latest trends in technology, give West Central Telephone a call at 837-5151.
Looking for healthy foods free of chemicals and pesticides? You’ll find them and more at A Clean Plate Local & Organic Grocery in Menahga. Owned by Wayne and Julie Isaacson, the store sells the most complete selection of organic foods in a 60-mile radius.
Eight years ago, Wayne was on a mission to get healthy and began researching foods. He didn’t like what he found — overly processed foods with chemicals and preservatives, produce with pesticides, and meat from animals fed a steady diet of genetically modified grains and antibiotics. With 17 years of grocery management under his belt, Wayne and Julie opened A Clean Plate Local & Organic Grocery in July 2012.
The selection at A Clean Plate includes:
• Fresh produce from local farms like Red Fern Gardens of Sebeka
• Organic meat from area farmers
• Non-homogenized, minimally pasteurized milk from an Osceola dairy farm
• Over 100 items available in bulk including quinoa, oats, grains, raw nuts and spices
• Eggs from free-range chickens at Yellow Rose Organic Farms
• The Isaacsons are grateful for community support and love helping local farmers sell their products.
The store uses a Point of Sale system that relies on Internet from West Central Telephone for updates as well as credit card and debit card transactions. Product ordering is done online, and Facebook is their main form of marketing. Wayne said, “The dependability and speed of West Central’s Internet service make my job of run-ning a small business in Menahga possible.
For healthy foods, check out A Clean Plate at 13 Birch Ave SE in Menahga, visit ACleanPlateGrocery.com, or call 564-1010.
For technology to help give your business a healthy bottom line, call West Central Telephone at 837-5151.
Hub 71 is a full-service, family restaurant located at 3 US Hwy 71 South in Sebeka. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with daily features. The majority of their food is made from scratch, with signature items like “The 71,” the “Highway 8 Burger” and “Salted Caramel Apple Pie” as crowd favorites. They proudly serve Cedar Crest Ice Cream, which is made in Wisconsin and described as “pure frozen joy.”
Inside you’ll find a spacious and inviting environment with antiques and local oddities on display—many on loan from customers—as well Mac’s Room, which is a separate area that can be reserved for up to 60 people. What really sets Hub 71 apart from other mom-and-pop restaurants is the way they incorporated technology into their business. This includes free Wi-Fi, convenient charging ports at every table, and servers who take orders on iPads and relay that information wirelessly through the POS system directly to the kitchen.
Hub 71 is owned by Jeff and Shannon Lausten, but it’s really Shannon’s baby. When asked why she built the restaurant, Shannon replied, “I had a dream of owning a restaurant, and when Sebeka’s last sit-down café closed their doors for good, it was easy to see myself fulfilling my dream while providing Sebeka with a good, family-style restaurant.”
The electrical wiring was completed by West Central partner, Zenergy, while West Cen-tral installed security cameras, TV, phone, and Internet services with Wi-Fi capabilities. To enjoy a great meal served by friendly people, visit Hub 71 in Sebeka. To order carry out or catering, call 837-CAFÉ (2233).
For more information on ways to use technology in your business, give West Central Telephone a call at 837-5151.
You’ve probably heard of Johnson & Son Well Drilling — they’ve been a Sebeka-based busi-ness for over 55 years! Run by 3rd generation owner Austin Johnson, the business continues to offer water well drilling services for residential and commercial clients as well as irrigation services. It also offers directional boring services, backhoe digging, pump repair and installation, and well abandonment services. Johnson & Son, located at 202 Frontage Road in Sebeka, is an authorized dealer of both Grundfos and Sta-Rite Well Pumps.
When asked how the business got its start, Austin shared, “Grandpa Doug was a man who did it all. He would build houses from the septic system and plumbing on up to the roof. One employee and long-time family friend who worked with Doug specialized in well drilling, and taught him everything he knew about drilling.” Johnson & Son no longer builds houses but will design the entire well system and service and maintain it.
Austin is jokingly referred to as “the water doctor” since he’s on call 24/7, 365 days of the year, to handle any water emergency within the customer base which includes a 50-mile radius of Sebeka. Next spring, Austin plans to purchase an additional service truck that will expand their service and irrigation department.
With all this going on, how does Austin keep an eye on his business? With high speed Internet and a security system from West Central Telephone, of course. Austin said, “With my surveil-lance camera system, I can see who is coming and going at my business from my home computer or while on the road from my smartphone. I sleep easier at night knowing that my property is safe and secure.”
For great service, and access to the freshest water at a fraction of the utility costs, contact Johnson & Son Well Drilling at 218-837-5500 or johnsonswelldrilling@wcta.net. You can also visit johnsonswelldrilling.com.
For more information on ways to keep your property safe and secure even when you are away, give West Central Telephone a call at 218-837-5151.
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Sebeka United Methodist Church at 100 Jefferson Ave S, Sebeka, MN • 218-472-3288
The Sebeka Food Shelf is a volunteer-run program that helps families who find themselves short on funds and food or other necessities like diapers. It prioritizes people with children and the elderly. Families are typically served one time each month by the food shelf, which focuses on the Sebeka School District.
The Sebeka Food Shelf helps roughly 32 families per month and gives out over 2,000 pounds of food. There are several volunteers that make sure this process of helping other people goes smoothly. We spoke with treasurer Joyce Limanen and manager Kay Oehlenschlager, and asked them what their favorite part of their job was. They both said, “We love helping the community and this is a great way of doing it!”
West Central Telephone feels the same and we were happy to donate $500 toward the purchase of a new freezer for the food shelf. Many in the community also donate fresh produce and cash. Cash is king, as volunteers have a $5 to $1 purchasing power with the food banks.
The Sebeka Food Shelf is open one day a week — Thursdays from 5-7 pm. — and is located in the back of the Sebeka United Methodist Church at 100 Jefferson Ave S, Sebeka, MN. You can also reach them at 218-472-3288.
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